Montag, 29. November 2010

Tiere als Therapie

Hallo Ihr Lieben,

ich möchte euch das Interview von der Psychotherapeutin Marta Ciesla nicht vorenthalten. Sie interviewte mich zum Thema: "Tiere als Therapie"

Die deutsche Übersetzung findet ihr unter diesem Link:
http://upayapsychotherapy.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/tiere-als-therapie-ein-interview-mit-nadja-kopp-von-amicanis/



Pets as Therapy: An interview with Nadja Kopp from AMICANIS


Nadja and Curly-Sue: The perfect team. Research consistently reports on the efficacy of Animal-assisted therapy (AAT).


Every pet owner will agree that their pet contributes to their emotional and physical well-being. This benefit has been recognised for some time, the first official therapy dog Smokey made his rounds through Army Hospitals before and after WW2 and worked for 12 years. Since then Animal-assisted Therapies have continually gained popularity.
Nadja Kopp is the founder and director of Amicanis, a dog walking and pet boarding service in Berlin, Germany. She has studied veterinary science, is an experience pet trainer and proud owner of her certified therapy (and film) dog Border Collie Curly-Sue. She has kindly agreed to be interviewed on her experience with pets in therapy and other benefits of owning a pet on mental health.


Marta Ciesla: "Nadja, that is one impressive track record that you and Curly-Sue have. What has motivated you to work with animals and specifically to train Curly-Sue to be a therapy dog?"


I was very lucky to grow up with many animals and realised after my move from the countryside to a big city that many children are denied access to pet. There is limited space in cities and it can be difficult to create the right environment for pets. In my view many children did not know how to behave towards animals, they were even scared of them. Many lost respect towards animals and have been cruel to them. I wanted to show my school mates how to handle animals and how much they have to offer us and as a result I organised an animal care group at school.
I had contact to a social worker who works within AAT (animal-assisted therapies). She helped me to select Curly-Sue via a puppy temperament test. Since then we worked with Curly-Sue continuously on her training. She passed her exam to be a therapy dog and worked in a school for children with learning difficulties. We also joined a "visiting programme" for nursing homes, care homes, kindergartens, hospitals and schools.

Marta Ciesla: "What were your experiences when seeing Curly-Sue as a therapy dog in action?"


First of all I am immensely proud how she has developed. She has developed–in my opinion- the perfect intuition and the right temperament for this task. She has clear body language, which is very important for a therapy dog. She is quiet, relaxed and very friendly. It’s important to note that therapy dogs are not passive cuddly toys, instead they react to their environment. They accompany the therapy process are not the therapy themselves. We can show children e.g. how to react, how to make contact, how to touch and how they can learn more about their needs. They can also spend some playtime with the dog.
All my experiences have been positive. We enjoyed the work, it was fun and Curly-Sue embraced her role. During my school group I taught other pupils in the city about animals and their needs. The pupils were all interested, calm and it was very relaxed. One pupil mentioned that if a dog could be present during classes she would feel much more confident.

Marta Ciesla: "Would you recommend a pet to everyone?"

That’s a difficult question. Pets have to fit into your lifestyle.

However, I believe that pets can have a balancing effect on people. I love the idea e.g. of a highly styled business woman jumping into her Wellingtons to jump through mud with her dog. I am absolutely convinced that animals can ground people. They don’t care what clothes you were or if you hang out in trendy places. They are instead the perfect contrast to a hectic life – but they also have demands on us. They want to be fed, cared for, dogs need walks und we have to learn not to humanise them, but instead to adapt to their world too. Because of that animals promote (especially in children) empathy, values, control over one’s own body and respect for nature. However, a pet alone is not enough, parents are important to teach those things via the animal.

Marta Ciesla: "Could you tell us a little bit about your relationship with Curly-Sue and how important it is/was for your own health and mental well-being?"

I try to accept my pets the way they are and to treat them as naturally as possible. I have 3 pets living with me, two cats and one dog. I have a different relationship to each one of them, each one in their own right. My tomcat Casanova is very independent and is out a lot roaming the neighbourhood. When it comes to dinnertime, he is always there on time. I have taught him a couple of tricks such as “down” and “shake hands”. He is the eldest and I think he sees me as his servant who can open the door for him, serves the food or brushes him. My cat “Chanel in contrast is very cuddly and not very demanding. She cuddles up to me on the couch whenever I am ill or reading a book. She is there when I am sad or desperate, warms herself under the desk light when I am on the computer and observes everything as if she wanted to copy it the next day. I could almost say that my cats act as therapists for our guest dogs as many of them never had contact with cats. They allow the dogs to sniff around and seem to enjoy it.
Curly-Sue is immensely important to me. She was my life saviour and is my companion. She challenges me all the time in a playful way and is extremely empathic. I am absolutely convinced that animals had a significant influence on my personal development, my mental well-being and happiness.

Marta Ciesla: "What is the best aspect of your work?"

The best aspect of my works is my decision that I decided against everything other people have told me to do. I got to the point, where I just did whatever I enjoyed and whatever fulfilled me. The huge success that came out of it is great and makes me very proud. My work makes me very happy. How many people can truly say that about themselves? I am walking a pack of dogs daily in a forest – in Berlin (!). I could say that I am literally switching between different worlds and it is an adventure. I am very satisfied and it balances my body and soul. Furthermore, I can promote this and everything else I have learned during my dog training lessons. It’s new and different each time, and observing the relationship between human and dog is never boring.

Marta Ciesla: "What pet would you recommend to which personality type? And what pet for which age when it comes to children?"


I would recommend for small kids (6 years and under) animals such as guinea pigs or rabbits. Kids can pet them, take responsibility for small tasks and learn a little bit about their needs whilst having a personal relationship with them.
Between 6 and 12 parents have to be aware that children shouldn’t handle a dog without supervision. Labradors and Golden Retrievers are great family dogs. I have also had good feedback about Shelties and Japanese Spitz.
It is a good idea to visit a vet or dog trainer before getting a dog to get advice. In some cases they will also agree to visit the pet together with the prospective owner.
Horse riding is great for hyperactive kids and people in general, as the experience of “being carried” has a positive effect on physical self-awarenss. Especially horses and cows have an aura of calmness about them which can benefit nervous people. Aquariums and Terrariums are more appropriate for busy people who don’t have the time for pets that are more dependent on their owners. Cats in particular are good pets for busy people, however if you are working a lot it is always better to get two cats and a cat flap to allow the cat roaming in the neighbourhood would be a benefit.


Marta Ciesla: "What is your personal opinion on trends such as Dolphin- and Elephant Therapy?"

Many worried parents travel with their sick children for thousands of miles for animal-assisted therapies with exotic animals. I can’t support this trend. I don’t see any valid scientific proof why exotic pets should be more helpful in therapy than pets. I would rather recommend parents to invest their money in invisits by therapy dogs or horse assisted therapy rather than a few hours with an exotic animal. Dolphins, elephants and other exotic animals belong in my view into the wild, their natural environment. They are not domestic animals and should never be domesticated. Instead we should protect their environment and not keep them captive. Their therapeutic efficiency does not compare to their life in captivity.
Marta Ciesla: "You are making a very important point here about the validity of trends and whether there are other efficient methods that go hand in hand with a respect for nature and animals, and what is affordable at the same time and less exhausting, considering long travelling.
Thank you for this interview and I wish you all the best with the wonderful work you do."



Marta Ciesla is the proud owner of two dogs and works as a Psychotherapist specialised in Transactional Analysis in the UK. After her Psychology degree she worked in psychiatric and psychological research and is a member of the ITA research committee. She founded Upaya Psychotherapy in 2010 (http://www.upaya-psychotherapy.com/ ), a cooperation of psychotherapists from different disciplines who subscribe themselves to supporting ethical research into the efficiency of therapies, charity support and personal development through education.

If you have any questions you can contact her in German and English at her email adress marta@upaya-psychotherapy.com

If you are interested in what Curly-Sue is up to, you can read Nadja's and Curly-Sue's blog (in German: http://www.hundeleben-berlin.blogspot.com/ ). You can also get the latest news on Twitter and Facebook.
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More information on Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) and similar interventions you can visit the Society for Companion Animal Studies Website who also offers workshops and a variety of talks on the subject.
A selection of research and articles into pet-assisted psychotherapy (old and new):
Mason MS, Hagan CB (1999): Pet-assisted Psychotherapy (Abstract only)
Rice SS, Brown LT, Caldwell HS (1973): Animals and Psychotherapy: A Survey (Abstract only)
Susan Lee Bady, MSW (2004): The Creative Use of Pets in Psychotherapy

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